Sulphuric Acid Bake-Leach Process for the Treatment of Mixed Copper-Cobalt Oxide Ores: An Experimental Study

Abstract

As an alternative to reductive leaching, a sulphuric acid bake–leach method for the treatment of mixed copper–cobalt oxide minerals was studied. The effects of acid dosage, baking temperature, baking time and leaching time on the dissolution of copper and cobalt were investigated. Sulphuric acid was added to the mixed copper-cobalt oxide ore, which was then baked in a muffle furnace. To test the leachability of copper and cobalt from the baked material, the reacted samples were exposed to water leaching at room temperature. Copper and cobalt dissolutions were dependent on acid concentration, with cobalt being more sensitive to the amount of acid. Without the use of reducing agents, copper and cobalt were extracted from the baked material in a short amount of time. The sulfuric acid bake-leach technique has been found to be a viable alternative to the reductive leaching method for copper-cobalt oxide ores.